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Monday, March 23, 2015

Living Room Before and After

Alright, I'm callin' it. After several years of trial and error, the living room area is finished! Ready for a little reveal tour?

Here's how the living room area looked a few years back when we bought our house. It's a perfectly nice little living room and I'm sure many folks would be happy to have a space like this. But over the years our style, needs, and (let's be honest), budget have grown and this space along with it.

The first big change we made was addressing our need for a TV entertainment center, something that would fill the wall space and provide functional storage. I found a cool pair of vintage shelves on Craigslist and Jesse morphed them into this amazing wall unit.

Last summer, we hit the estate sale Holy Grail when we found an imitation Eames lounge chair and ottoman. I always laugh when a guest sits in that chair for the first time. It's usually something like, "Whoa! This chair is comfortable!" and I can tell by their big eyes and surprised tone they probably want to add "I thought it was just a goofy looking chair!" It's not in the best shape, so I'd love to have it cleaned up and re-upholstered some day. Or maybe invest in the real deal. Someday. Until the basement rec is finished, this is our main hang out space, so nothing is too expensive or precious for two big dogs and a four year old to enjoy.

After we added the lounge chair and ottoman, I struggled with what to do for a coffee table. Oh man, I struggled. I tried the black planter (see it in the corner?) turned over as a table, the original upholstered ottoman, a wooden toy chest, and a vintage coffee table we had stored in the basement. Eventually, I decided the vintage table would work but it was too long. So, naturally, I took it apart and Jesse used trimmed it down using a table saw. Unfortunately, cutting it revealed the top to be made of particle board, so instead of messing with new veneer and stain, I slapped a few coats of glossy white spray paint on it and "dipped" the legs with gold acrylic paint. I finished the top with two coats of clear poly-acrylic spray to prevent chips.The sofa probably isn't what I'd buy today mainly because I don't like how the cushions are all attached. No flipping them over for even wear. I think my dream sofa would be an impractical teal velvet chesterfield. I made all of the toss pillows, including a couple from an upcycled serape blanket. I think I've made roughly two million toss pillows over the years.

The rest of the living room additions and changes are really just things we've collected from estate sales and thrift stores. A few of my particular favorites are the brass tension pole lamp that I painted black and the mid-century hobby painting I found a few weeks ago. I'm always drooling over the options on One King's Lane, so I about fell over when I found this one.

I love this space so, so much. I feel like it really captures our love of old and new finds, creative projects and elbow grease. If home is where the heart is, this is definitely home.

Hi Christina! Thank you! The color is "Dusty Trail" from Valspar at Lowe's. I'd like to have creamy white walls someday, but I think I'd go nuts with dogs and kids smudging them up, so light beige it is! :)